The Component Builder

Use the Component Builder to create or edit the different components that make up a protocol. You can create a custom component to deal with a particular charting need, with your own wording, and then use the Protocol Builder to add that component to relevant chart notes. You can also use the Component Builder to modify the details or wording of different components, such as adding a newly available item to the History or Review of Systems components.

Don't Make Extra Components: You only need one “History” component, to which you can add all the available history questions for all ages, all patients, and all chart notes. Later, in the Protocol Builder, you can determine which history questions will appear for each protocol.

After Your Make Changes: Making changes or adding options to components in the Component Builder may not alter your protocols. For example, if you add a new available item to the “History” radio component, it will not automatically appear on chart notes. You must use the Protocol Builder to indicate that your new History item should appear with that component on specific protocols, and you may also need to adjust your Protocol Map.

Open the Component Builder

The Component Builder screen displays the name, the component type, and a column of other configuration notes about the component.

Edit a Component

Select any component and click “Edit” to make changes.

In the above example, a user is editing the “Review of Systems”, a component of type “Generic Radio”. In the edit window, we can specify all the different possible systems that could appear on a chart note. You can add as many items as you wish.

Later, in the Protocol Builder, the user can add the Review of Systems component to any protocol. Then they can specify which of the listed items will appear for that Protocol.

Clear/Delete: The two check boxes on the editing list allow you clear all historical answers stored in PCC EHR for an item, or to delete the item from the component. The changes will take place when you click “Save”.

Turn On Last Answer: PCC EHR can display the last charted answer for Generic Check, Q & A, or Generic Text style components. You can activate or deactivate this feature while editing the component.

Edit an Order Component

When you edit an order component, such as the Referral Orders component or the Medical Procedure Orders component, you can add new orders and set various default behaviors.

For each order, you can set default behaviors and add LOINC tests. You can also add SNOMED-CT procedures for reporting.

After you add or edit an order, use the Protocol Builder to make the component and the desired order appear on a specific chart note.

Labs and Immunizations are Different than Other Orders: You can create and edit most kinds of orders in the Component Builder. You must create and edit lab orders in the Lab Configuration the Lab Configuration Tool, and new immunizations must be configured in Partner and the Immunization Configuration tool.

Configuring Orders for Billing: Whenever you add or modify a new order in the correct component in the component builder, you should consider whether that order should trigger procedure codes for billing on the electronic encounter form. Read the Billing Configuration help article to learn more.

Create a New Component

Click “Add” to create a new component.

Enter a name for your new component and then select a component type. After selecting a component type, the component builder will ask you questions specific to that type of component. For example, in the Generic Radio component above, the user indicates what the three column choices will be and which choice will be the default.

Add Items to an Existing Component vs. Creating a New Component: You should not create a new component when you need different sorts of questions or orders for an existing component. For example, you can add all possible History or Review of Systems questions to the original component, and then use the Protocol Builder to configure which questions should appear in each chart note protocol. Similarly, you can create a new order inside the Referrals or Medical Procedure component, create new labs in the Lab Configuration Tool, and then use the Protocol Builder to determine which of those orders appear for each chart note.

Run the PCC EHR Configuration tool to edit components, work on your custom chart notes, or modify the Medical Summary or Demographics sections of the chart. The Protocol Configuration tool is found in the Tools menu.

You can add many special components, which appear elsewhere in a patient's chart, to your customizable chart note protocols. These include siblings, growth charts, Recent and Upcoming Appointments, any Medical Summary component, and any Demographics component.

Components are the building blocks of protocols, which are used to generate chart notes for visits. By understanding the different component types and the available specialized components, you will be able create useful new sections for your chart notes and configure them.

Whether you are tracking something for PCMH, Meaningful Use, pay for performance, or another program, you can use an order in PCC EHR to record medical information that meets reporting requirements. Learn how to set up your orders, and special tips and techniques to help your practice workflow.